Peter Finch: Fringe Putting Drill

To improve your distance putting, quality of strike is vital, so focus on that first, then try Peter Finch's fringe putting drill to really hone things

Peter Finch: Fringe Putting Drill

To improve your distance putting, quality of strike is vital, so focus on that first, then try Peter Finch's fringe putting drill to really hone things

FRINGE PUTTING DRILL To improve your distance putting, quality of strike is vitally important, so focus on that first, then try my fringe putting drill to really hone things.

Quality of strike You simply have to strike the ball near the centre of the blade to be able to control your distance on the greens. As soon as the strike is closer to the heel or toe, the head will twist taking energy away from the strike, even with a high MOI mallet.

You must hard to get a central strike if your distance control on the greens is to be consistent

There are many ways to improve the quality of strike, but since putting actions are very individual, it’s best to seek the advice of your PGA pro to see what he or she suggests for your stroke.

Watch all 7 videos in Peter's 'Keys to Consistency' series...

Fringe putting drill If you’re confident that you usually strike your putts in the centre of the blade, this simple fringe putting drill will improve your distance control as it frees you up from any technical thoughts and gets you focusing on a general area rather than a specific target.

Simply focus on putting your ball as close to the fringe as possible

The idea is simply to putt your ball from distance so it just reaches the fringe. Don’t worry about line – just the general target of the fringe. Then move round to tackle the actual target of the hole, but be very casual about it – just glance up and try to judge the distance.

Remember, though, that you’ve got to get the strike right first if you really want to control your distances on the green.

 

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf

Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Srixon ZX, EvenFlow Riptide 6.0 S 50g shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3- to 8-iron: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Irons 9-iron and PW: Honma TWorld TW747Vx, Nippon NS Pro regular shaft

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Kramski HPP 325

Ball: Any premium ball I can find in a charity shop or similar (or out on the course!)